


No Regrets

by pi_meson



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Cecearlos almost, Fluff, M/M, yet another version of OTP becoming OT3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-10
Updated: 2017-04-10
Packaged: 2018-10-17 04:25:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10586397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pi_meson/pseuds/pi_meson
Summary: From a tumblr prompt - "We all regret something"





	

Cecil lounged in the laboratory, although Carlos, as usual, said the lab was not a place for recreational activity, what with all the sparkling glassware and humming electricals and bubbling liquids and chalkboards and... stuff. Cecil, as usual, ignored Carlos's rules unless he wrote them down. Rules that were committed to the written form were somehow stronger than rules Carlos just came up with as they occurred to him. Carlos squeaked chalk on his favourite chalkboard and tapped it. Cecil sighed and removed his feet from the workbench.  
"Carlos, _no feet on the workbenches_ is more of a _guideline_ than an actual _rule,"_ he grumbled, "I can't see what harm it does to be comfortable while I wait for you to finish work."  
Carlos acquiesced and rubbed his latest rule from the surface. Cecil flashed a grin and sat up straight anyway. "You done yet?"  
"No, sorry poot," Carlos shook his head. "These results are really interesting. The most interesting results I have ever seen. I _have_ to stay and think about what they mean. Oh!" Carlos's face fell. "Ceece, I regret that I need to postpone our night out. Will you tell Earl I am sorry?"  
"Of course, bunny. What time do you think you will be home?" Carlos looked over his clipboards and instrument displays. He gave an exaggerated shrug and scribbled on his mini-chalkboard. Cecil sighed and stood, half turning to go, trying to shield his disappointment. "Okay. I will see you when you are done."  
Carlos held up his chalkboard. In untidy script there was a new rule.  
_"A radio host must kiss the chief scientist goodbye before leaving the lab to go have a nice time with his best friend."_

Cecil pulled up to the kerb outside Earl's place and Earl trotted out.  
"No Carlos? Is he meeting us there?"  
"Oh, you know, my husband is with his other lover tonight: science," replied Cecil. "He says he's sorry."  
"Oh." Earl shrugged. "Well. You and me, that'll be nice, won't it?"  
"It spoils what I'd planned for after dinner," complained Cecil. "You'd need three for that."  
Earl held his tongue, but smiled.

By the time they had eaten tacos and walked through town, Cecil was not in a good mood. He complained to Earl so much that Earl snapped over their dessert of ice creams from White Sands, eaten as they meandered through the park.  
"Ceece, do you regret marrying Carlos?"  
"What?" Cecil was taken aback by Earl's exasperated tone. "No! Not at all! Why would you ask that?"  
Earl sighed. "You just spent the last half hour telling me how much he annoys and upsets you. I wondered if maybe you'd had second thoughts. That's all."  
"Oh! No, no. I love him and I know he loves me. Sorry. It's just... sometimes... you know. I'll shut up about it."  
"I didn't mean... Ceece you can talk to me about Carlos all you like. I just wanted to know how you feel. You know, so that I know how to respond."  
It was Cecil's turn to stop and frown over his ice cream. "What do you mean?"  
"Well, if you just need to get something off your chest, fine. I can listen and nod and say _mm-hmm_ until you're done and give you a hug. But if it might be something big, you should be telling it to Carlos."  
"Oh," said Cecil, walking again by Earl's side and watching the leaves hang from the trees, limp in the heat. "We talked about it already. We agreed that his work is important and unpredictable and so is mine and we should not make demands to drop everything for one another."

Earl nodded, not really knowing what to say next and therefore saying nothing. He slipped his arm through Cecil's and steered him to a bench. They finished their ice creams and sat watching the onset of the evening's ritual screaming at the sky. Earl put his arm around Cecil's shoulders and Cecil relaxed into Earl's touch.  
"Sometimes," Cecil said quietly, "I wonder if Carlos has regrets. About being married to me. I can be difficult too, I suppose. Maybe it's normal to have doubts. Do you think it's normal?"  
"Come on," Earl hugged Cecil briefly and stood. "Let's go say hi to your scientist."

Carlos was indeed still peering at readouts and squeezing numbers into cramped columns. He paused at the end of his row of bubbling beakers to offer his visitors a tired smile and a wave.  
"Hey," he called over. "Weren't you planning to go bowling after dinner?"  
"We missed you," replied Earl, returning Carlos's smile.  
"Brought you dou-ou-oughnuts," added Cecil in a cajoling tone, "your fa-a-avourites, the ones with the hot pepper fi-i-illi-i-ing!"  
Carlos grinned and washed his hands. He erased the _no food in the lab_ rule and reached into the paper bag Cecil offered. Earl patted the vacant lab-stool beside him and Carlos perched, taking a large bite from the orange-oozing doughnut and wiping his mouth. Behind them an alarm _bing!_ -ed and Carlos dashed over to write more numbers. Cecil watched Carlos bend over his instruments and tut, telling some to hurry up and others to slow down. At the end of the row, Carlos stood back, stroking his chin and saying _hmmm._

Cecil got up to scowl at the night sky outside the lab and Earl frowned. He walked over to Carlos and pointed at the equipment.  
"What are you doing?"  
"Aah, science." Carlos shook his head slowly. "My client said they'd pay double if I got results by tomorrow morning. I thought I could use the extra money to take Cecil out somewhere real fancy. But I do not think the results will tell them what they want to hear so I might as well quit now."  
Earl's frown deepened. "Are you saying you only get paid if you get the result they want?"  
Carlos nodded. He sighed as he switched off his equipment. "That's how it is these days. Nobody wants to hear about negative results even though the experiments that prove something doesn't work are just as important as the ones with positive outcomes."  
Earl patted Carlos's arm.  
"Come on, let's all go for a drink."

One drink became two then a suggestion of three. Cecil proposed that they pick up some wine and go home. Earl's token protest was swamped by Carlos's insistence that he was welcome, so all three slouched on Cecil and Carlos's sofa with the radio on quietly because Cecil insisted they listen to _Voidgazing: Live!_ Carlos said he regretted that his job kept him apart from Cecil sometimes, and Cecil hugged him and said it was okay, he understood really although he had no intention of stopping complaining about it. Cecil said he regretted that he still felt insecure despite all the evidence that Carlos and Earl both loved him. Earl choked on his drink, coughing until his face was puce from the effort rather than the revelation.

Carlos watched in amusement as Cecil patted Earl's back and offered him some paper tissues. Once recovered, nose and throat still burning, Earl stared at Cecil.  
"What do you mean? We were best friends when we were kids and I always regretted that we drifted apart but... Uh?"  
"Oh silly!" Cecil laughed and his hand steadied on Earl's shoulder. "Carlos noticed a while back. He's a scientist and scientists are _very_ observant."  
"Yes!" Carlos added. "Observant is the fourth thing a scientist is and I observed that you would like to be a different kind of friends with Ceece, the kind of friends who–"  
"–Oh-kaaay!" interrupted Cecil as Earl shot to his feet then wobbled a bit.  
"Carlos, Ceece, I should go."

Cecil looked at Carlos. Carlos nodded and quietly left the room. Cecil took Earl's arm.  
"Is he wrong? Are we all going to laugh this off or be embarrassed and ignore each other for a while then pretend it didn't happen?"  
Earl spoke as if to the corner of the room.  
"No, he's right. Cecil, I don't want to regret anything else about our friendship. You're with Carlos and that's so great! I don't want to be in the way of that so I'll go home and see you whenever."  
"Why would you be in the way?" Cecil sounded genuinely surprised. "Carlos is okay with us being closer. Like, _a lot_ closer." Cecil leaned in and sniggered, _"naked closer."_  
Earl couldn't help his giggle and Cecil kissed him while Carlos watched from the doorway, grinning.  
"Hey, um, so I'm going to bed but if you two want to stay up and make out that's okay," said Carlos after a minute. "See you in the morning. Good night."  
Earl broke off the kiss and turned to see Carlos smile and close the door.  
"I still think I should go. Got a lot to think about."

Cecil kissed Earl once more before Earl slipped out into the night. Sliding into bed beside Carlos, Cecil kissed his husband's cheek.  
"I think that went okay. No regrets?"  
Carlos shifted onto his side and held Cecil close.  
"None at all."


End file.
